Nicholas the Great

Nicholas the Great

Nicolas Ghesquière is brandishing a light saber. No, he's not a Star Wars fetishist per se, but he is following photographer Jean-Paul Goude's vision for this shoot. And Ghesquière, for his part, is uncharacteristically game. Arguably one of fashion's most lauded designers and arbiter of all things cool and cutting-edge, he's more than happy to slip into the guise of Darth Vader, challenging his dear friend and muse, Charlotte Gainsbourg, to a duel. The moment is surreal: Goude is his icon; Charlotte, his most intimate confidante.

"This is a childhood dream come true," says an animated Ghesquière. "In the eyes of Jean-Paul Goude, I am a little boy. I admire him so much. His aesthetic is what forged my own, his images were inscribed in my mind, and they are clearly part of my vocabulary. It's crazy that he suggested this Jedi battle! He didn't even know that I loved all that. It does me good.

"What a good feeling to put your faith in someone and not have to make any decisions," he continues. "That hardly ever happens to me. We are only a few days away from the show and I feel like I am on holiday; I feel free. I wish today would last forever." This is a luxury for the Balenciaga designer, who says he lives "five lives a day."

For 15 years, Ghesquière has managed Balenciaga with epic determination. He devotes all his passion toward the operation of the fashion house and, indeed, his efforts have paid off. Today, Balenciaga is synonymous with success. Every collection is an event. Every bag becomes a classic. And Ghesquière has established himself as a visionary–always pushing the envelope and reinventing the proverbial fashion wheel.

On a recent winter morning in Paris, the designer received me in the vast, quiet living room of his home on the Rive Gauche. Frédéric, a beautiful chocolate-colored dog with a naughty streak, was slumped on the couch while his master sat on the floor in front of a coffee table and served Paris-Brest, a traditional French pastry. With disarming ease, the lithe designer reels off the tasks in his overwhelming workload: "Communicating about the ever more ambitious precollections. Managing the launch of a new perfume. Thinking about the aesthetic of the 20-some new boutiques and points of sale that are planned. Strategizing over upcoming capsule collections. Designing red-carpet dresses. Developing the men's line. Everything has sped up. Balenciaga has become a major brand, and there is a lot at stake. The responsibilities pile up; that's the price of success. But in spite of all this accumulation of work, I still feel happy and very fortunate to be here."

Given the recent spate of hirings and firings of designers at major brands, there's more pressure than ever to perform. Raf Simons showed his last collection for Jil Sander as Sander announced that she is returning to design her eponymous label after an eight-year absence. Stefano Pilati left Yves Saint Laurent and has been replaced by Hedi Slimane (who was the label's menswear designer more than a decade ago). Both Balenciaga and YSL are owned by the luxury group PPR. Fashion has become a high-stakes game but one that Ghesquière has learned to navigate well.

He has come a long way from the timid 23-year-old who arrived at Balenciaga in 1995 to design mourning clothes for the company's Japanese licenses. Growing up in rural Loudun, France, he was an unusual kid with an iron will: a hyperactive child, a restless student, and a frenetic athlete who had one thing on his mind–fashion. He channeled this boundless energy into his work. No parties, few friends, few recreational activities. For a long time, he has been a discreet designer. On that point, he has not changed. But at the age of 40, he has acquired serenity. And even if he has physically kept his youthful features, he seems to have created an inner realm that gives him an extraordinary air of ful?llment. Ghesquière has grown up, and he is very coolheaded.

"We started this business with five of us around a table. This year, there were more than 200 at the Christmas party! I am learning to delegate but it's not easy. I am learning other aspects of my job, like strategic development. I have come to realize that this is a necessary counterpart to creation." To this end, he is launching the third Balenciaga fragrance this fall, for which Kristen Stewart is the face.

Despite his many triumphs, Ghesquière has suffered his share of misfortunes. There were the production mistakes in sizing that made people think he was imposing rigorous clothes built solely for anorexics. Then there were the rumors about stolen Balenciaga pieces that were discovered in the showrooms of rival brands. But perhaps what smarts the most is that Ghesquière has lost many of the friends with whom he first began his tenure.

"Before, I was part of a family. I have lived through so many separations," he says obliquely. "For a long time, I thought I was not strong because I had this emotional disposition. When I found myself alone, without the protection of friendship, I certainly thought I couldn't make it anymore. This past year has been very difficult; but it was a pivotal year for me. A year of emancipation."

And last September, when all the seats collapsed one after another at his fashion show, he saw it as a kind of allusion to destiny. Imagine, fashion journalists from all over the world, falling to the floor when the benches split in two. Everywhere people were talking about "Benchgate." A moment of sheer hell for him. An incredible scene with the dressers, the models, the assistants all in a sweat or in tears, the backstage crew dumbfounded. Ghesquière recalls: "Backstage, everything was aflame. We were lost. I didn't know if anyone was injured. Some of our employees were crying. A hellish burden, I had to take it on my shoulders, calm everyone down, and make decisions. I became the captain. I decided that we would hold the show all the same, asking the attendees to watch it standing up." Today it's just a bad memory. Or, better yet, a blessing in disguise. "I received incredible expressions of friendship," he says. "Kind words, camaraderie, extraordinary generosity. I have often felt a certain reticence between fashion professionals and me. We don't know how to approach each other. With this catastrophe, I felt the ice break. I took that as a symbol of all I had been going through lately, the separations, the divorces. Everything was falling apart, the end of an era, in order to embark on a new beginning."

While Ghesquière's latest fall collection can't quite be deemed a rebirth, his vision is as sharp as ever. He spirited showgoers up to the 27th floor of a skyscraper to witness his futuristic paean to high-fashion workwear. But his parade of girls, with their exaggerated jackets, parachute pants, and '80s sci-fi sweatshirts, were hardly your typical nine-to-fivers. And that is Ghesquière's calling card; he is a sprite who sets his own fashion rules. He has given a definitive look to the last decade: long legs, a high waist, a cropped torso, and shoulders with great breadth. Everything is redefined.

Ghesquière adores this collection, he says, because it bears witness to his passage to adulthood. "Once the fear of being alone had passed, I felt a new freedom. Stronger, I feel able to have my own opinion. I am grateful to all the people who have supported me, but I have the impression that today, I am at last a grown-up." May the force be with him.